It's not just Full House's Stephanie and Michelle Tanner that have ended up in Auckland, New Zealand instead of Oakland, California. Also, the effects of the San Francisco Bay and the East Bay's Mediterranean climate mean that below-freezing temperatures are unlikely, and if they do occur, the air will be dry. Rain generally occurs in winter, not summer, since rains share more similarity to monsoons than they do to thunderstorms. Oakland, like San Francisco, has a Mediterranean climate with temperatures moderated by the San Francisco Bay and the nearby, greater expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Oakland's history in the arts and entertainment arena is notable as well, as Oakland has nurtured or been a second home to novelists Gertrude Stein and Jack London actors Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks architect Julia Morgan environmentalist Julia "Butterfly" Hill classical conductor Calvin Simmons rappers MC Hammer, 2Pac, Messy Marv, and notables in the liberal arts and sciences. For example, while Oakland gave rise to civil-rights-conscious labor movements in the mid-century, it was also the birthplace of the Black Panther Party and a crucial hub for the early era Hell's Angels. Since the 1960s, Oakland has been a hub of progressive politics and radical, sometimes outlaw organizations. The city gets its name because it has an abundance of oak trees. Although still an underrated cultural center, its heady arts and culinary scene and ongoing revitalization have generated enthusiastic coverage in the world media of record, including the New York Times, The Guardian (UK), The Independent (UK), NPR, and the Los Angeles Times.
Oakland is now the Bay Area's most diverse city. Since the late 1990s, however, the actual basis for these often exaggerated portraits of Oakland life have receded, as the city is experiencing an economic and cultural revitalization, as well as the more controversial hyper-gentrification. From the mid-1960s through the early twenty-first century, popular media stoked American racial and class biases to generate negative perceptions about Oakland. While Oakland has neither the concentration of tourist amenities present in its western neighbor, San Francisco, nor the suburban sprawl of San Jose to the south, the visitor can easily spend a few pleasant days here.
How lucky I was to know so many people that were so different and yet so much alike! What I loved the most about Oakland was that all of my neighbors came in as many colors, ideas, and religions as there are people on the planet.